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Products you added to your system in 2021 that made most impact to your music enjoyment

As 2021 comes to an end, just thought it would be cool to share some of the most impactful audio upgrades in your system this year?
Here’s my top 5 list…

1. Pass Labs XP-12: Upgrade path was from Rogue RP-1 to Rogue RP-5 and then to Pass XP-12 that was the final touch. Huge improvements across the board. Mates well with my Rogue ST-100 tube amp.

2. Phono Cartridge: Goldring E3 MM to Hana EL MC. Clarity, presentation, dynamics in spades!

3. Phono Pre: From the built in phono pre in RP-1 and RP-5 to MoFi UltraPhono to Sutherland KC Vibe MkII. Lowered noise floor, increased resolution, dynamics. The KC Vibe MkII is almost double the cost of the MoFi and it’s the one of the few upgrades where an improvement was proportional to the cost difference. At least in my system. Records that seemed noisy become more listenable. A great little phono pre. 

4. Audience AU24sx speaker cables. These speaker cables are a clear window into a recording. Nothing hidden, nothing exaggerated. 

5. Power Cords: Acoustic Zen Gargantua for preamp and amp. Lower noise floor, increased resolution, natural sound, expanded soundstage

Honorable mentions:

1. Acoustic Zen Absolute Copper interconnects. In my opinion the AZ cables don’t get the respect they deserve on these forums anymore, overshadowed by some of the “flavor of the day” newcomers (without going into specifics on brands).

2. Puritan PSM156 power conditioner. 
3. Supra Cat8 Ethernet cable.

4. Lumin U1 Mini

5. MoFi LP#9 Stylus Cleaner. Better than the Onzo ZeroDust although I still use the Onzo between the sides. 

128x128audphile1
fleschler
1,911 posts
 

2021-minor improvement to a very good system-using my Walker Talisman on the rear input panel and over all cables in my system.  Opened up sound significantly.  I've owned it for 15 years and my friend and I tried it and it works best there.   For ease of use I also purchased the Furutech Destat III for CDs and LPs.   2021-Holding the discs in my hand and zapping them provides 100% destatization (my friends Zerostat does virtually nothing and my 40 year old Nagaoka is very tired/weak now).   Eventually, my only component upgrade will be my speakers.

fleschler
1,911 posts
 

Oops!  Forgot, had my friend build a balanced to single ended transformer(s) for my COS Engineering D1 DAC.   Much improved sound.

recluse
268 posts
 

2021: Musical Paradise Tube DAC

2020: Crites speakers(style B)
 

 

chiptech10
13 posts
 

I built the ANK DAC 5.1 this fall.

 

Sweet sound and I know how it works from the inside out.

adasdad's avatar
adasdad
122 posts
 

In this the second year of the Coronavirus pandemic I decided to make only small tweaks to my system. I added a D-Link network switch and the ENO Ethernet Filter System Ag in front of my ROON Nucleus music server, and an Audiowise SRC.DX USB to coax converter with a single WAVE Storm BNC cable to take the streaming signal from the Nucleus to my Chord Hugo M Scaler. I also bought a couple pair of vintage NIB 6SN7 driver tubes for my Woo Audio WA22 headphone amplifier that were made in the 1950’s, which is pretty cool. 

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